I would check the lower trunk for tiny pin prink size holes which would indicate Asian Ambrosia Beetles.  I've started having problems with them and have had to chop many trees back in an attempt to keep them in check.

Dan, I've had some success with small drawstring muslin bags, and nylon footies on individual fruits.  It seems to help with the birds, but does little to stop the squirrels.  The main problem I found was knowing when the fruit was ready to pick.  I'd forget to give them the gentle squeeze test, since the visual wasn't there to remind me.

Hi Martin - The Sal's fig came originally from Edible Landscaping.  Mike, the owner of EL, saw how similar his Sal's and Hardy Chicago looked and decided to lump them together and now sells them both as Hardy Chicago.  There's a lengthy tread on the GW Fig Forum discussing it:  http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/fig/msg101415465988.html
(You've made posts to this thread yourself and mentioned that you have Sal's from EL)

Here what I have in my variety notes regarding this Sal's variety:

A tasty fig that does well on the east coast; similar to Hardy Chicago, but more productive. Mine originated from Edible Landscaping Nursery, which now considers it to be identical to Hardy Chicago. I disagree based on my own observations -- also, preliminary DNA testing by the National Germplasm Repository at Davis indicates that Sal's is closely related to HC, but not the same. Research by Byron Wiley indicates that Paul Traceski obtained this fig many years ago from a fellow named Sal in Huntington Station, Long Island. Paul gave the fig to Belleclare Nursery who added it to their inventory as #39. He also gave one to Hanc Matthies who in turn passed it on to Edible Landscaping. Note also that the UC-Davis DFIC 243 originates ultimately back through Edible Landscaping, and is not Sal's Corleone (BC #31).

Hi Axier, Thanks for the information about the taste.  I'm glad to hear that it's a decent flavor.  It's good that I kept it.

If you want a good book about cultivation buy Baud's book, Pas a Pas.  It is much better.  I have both.  Figues de Tous Pays has a few pretty pictures, recipes, and a variety list that has only very brief descriptions and even a few mistakes.

Thanks for the offer, Jon -- but guess I'll pass this go-round.  Got'em coming out my ears as it is.

I know you all are speaking in jest regarding Peg's Sal's fig -- but Herman, Jon and Peg all got their Sal's from me (Herman and Jon via Leon), so any differences can be marked up to climate or an insufficient number of leaf samples.

Yes, any one tree has variously shaped leaves, which makes comparison difficult -- but not impossible when done thoroughly.  Any one variety tends to have about 3 general leaf types: 1 juvenile and 2 mature.  Hardy Chicago and Sal's EL leaves are very similar; except for one of Sal's mature leaf types which is very distinct from any that HC has.  It’s much broader/fatter than the others.

If you follow the link I posted above you'll see both the address and cost which includes postage.

Could be the Asian Ambrosia Beetle
 
http://www.uaex.edu/Other_Areas/publications/PDF/FSA-7064.pdf

You might want to check out this thread on the GW Fig Forum:  http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/fig/msg0515033518558.html

• Posted by leon_edmond z7NM (My Page) on
  Thu, Oct 5, 06 at 1:42

Yes, George is correct.  Leon lost his original tree after he moved.  I supplied him with several cuttings that he passed on to others including Jon and Herman.  So the UC-Davis Sal's is the EL version.